Instead of relaxing with family and friends at the end of the season Adelaide defender Kris Massie experienced a life-changing trip to one of the world’s harshest continents.

Massie, along with three other AFL footballers and the support of World Vision, travelled to Africa to get an insight into the work of World Vision and to witness first hand some of the world’s poverty issues.

While always drawn to Africa by its music and culture, travelling to the continent gave Massie the opportunity to fulfil a personal goal.

“I’ve had a sponsored child Daniel Mbendzane, a young man in Mozambique for quite a while now, so to have the opportunity to go and meet him and travel with a number of players, and see a bit of the history of apartheid movement and get a feel for the culture at the same time, it was a perfect little package to experience,” said Massie, who debuted for the Crows in 2002 after being recruited from Carlton.

With something he feels so passionately about, Massie realised it was a great opportunity to get exposure to the issues and experiences in the continent.

“One of the great things about footballers is that you run around a field and you chase a football, but when you do something outside of football it gives you an opportunity for people to listen and it attracts interest,” said Massie.

“That’s society; they look up to sportsmen and women, so you’ve got that opportunity to influence others in a positive way.”

Pre-conceived notions can always play on the mind of an individual and especially before entering a country that is poverty stricken and disease ridden.

Massie’s expectations were based solely on what he had seen on television through the World Vision ads, though he quickly realised that amidst the struggling conditions there was a sense of natural beauty.

“When I went over there it was very interesting because the landscape of all areas was like Gippsland in Victoria. It’s like you go to the hills and it was as green as Adelaide, it was just incredible,” Massie said.

“The views were million dollar views, outside these little huts that were made out of cow dung and clay.”

This beauty was not only reserved for the scenery, but the culture and spirit of the people was something that Massie savoured.

“It was in stark contrast to what you see on television,” he said. “You see these children, and we visited a lot of schools, and the children were full of life, full of just exuberance and the energy and love for dancing and singing and expressing themselves was quite something; that was beyond expectation.”

Through his travels and experiences in the continent Massie felt inspired by the spirit and courage of the people living there

“Materially they lacked, but culturally and spiritually they were just so full of life and their vibrancy, that was what just blew me away, and that’s what was inspiring about it.”

Confronting still was the standard of health that is evident in Africa and seeing first hand how people struggle to cope with little assistance was for Massie a shock to the system.

“The HIV and AIDS epidemic that’s going on is rife throughout Africa and the poverty is huge. The women and men, that their living through this and it’s reality for them is devastating,” said Massie.

“We go there as tourists and we take cameras and it’s a bloody slideshow; they’ve got to live through that and that’s what is so confronting is the shock of that; that’s reality for them.”

Closer to home Massie has also involved himself in charity work through a program he initiated called ‘Eat and Leap into Life’.

With the involvement of The Salvation Army and several Crows players including Bernie Vince, James Sellar, Andrew McLeod and Scott Stevens, the program is aimed at disadvantaged youths who may be homeless or with little direction in their lives.

In a six week program this year several players spent time with a group of young indigenous children, providing food and doing simple things like having a kick and providing mentoring advice.

Massie believes that not only does it provide a platform for these young people to find some direction and purpose, it also develops footballers off the field.

“We’re so physically driven, developing our bodies all the time, going out and contributing in these programs can really develop a person’s mentality,” he said. 

“So it’s also about developing more rounded people within our playing group, and across the board with the AFL.”